How To Turn The Family-Friendly Universal Studios Into A Gory Nightmare In Under An Hour

Universal Studios Orlando is about to undergo a stunning metamorphoses. As thousands of daytime patrons are cleared out of the park for the 5 pm closing, a small army of Universal employees bursts into action to transform the premises into something else entirely: A massive immersive playground filled with hordes of zombies, vampires, masked murderers, and all sorts of other grotesques.

“We try to have the entire park switched over in just over a half hour,” says Michael Aiello, the event’s creative director. “It’s a really tedious process. This is a working theme park during the day, so it requires a highly choreographed dance and a huge number of people to do it in a specific order as the lighting is switched out, the audio is switched out, and the fog machines are turned on.”

This is Halloween Horror Nights, a 25-year-running seasonal event that sees the popular Florida theme park skinned into a massive Halloween party. On-site: Nine massively ambitious haunted houses (or “mazes”, as the park calls them), pedestrian pathways that have been transformed into themed “Scare Zones” filled with nightmarish characters, and easy access to rides that are kept open deep into the night. Depending on the date, the Halloween event operates as late as 2 am.

In case there was any doubt: This isn’t for the kids. Some of the haunted houses are shockingly graphic, and the event feels more like a Halloween-themed Mardi Gras than a quiet day at the park, where alcohol flows freely from the on-site bars, which are enjoyed by thousands of horror-loving adults who have turned the traditional down season in between Summer and Christmas into a destination.

Currently celebrating its 25 anniversary, Halloween Horror Nights began back in 1991 as a three-night event called Fright Night. It was a small affair with one maze and about a hundred performers spread throughout the park.

“It was really a test to try and see if they could drive some business during this less-busy time of the year,” Aiello says.

As the event has grown—although the park does not release specific attendance figures, lines for mazes can swell into the hours—Aiello cites a number of milestones as turning points in the production. In 2000, the event got its first mascot, which would serve as an original horror character designed to put a face to the fun (and its merchandise): An It-esque clown known as Jack the Clown who has returned to the event for its 25th anniversary.

“Fans went crazy,” Aiello says. “Not only were they scared to death of him, but he gave the event a persona and an identity. This really began the iconic era of Halloween Horror Nights.”

Another important milestone: In 2007, producers introduced the first licensed mazes, with experiences based on Friday the 13th, A Nightmare On Elm Street, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Prior to this, all of the mazes were based on original themes.

“Incorporating well-known brands changed the event in so many ways in regards to awareness and frankly attendance” Aiello says.

This year, five of the nine featured mazes are based on movies or TV shows, including The Walking Dead (a partnership that began a few years ago, and one Aiello credits with bringing in hoards of new zombie-loving fans to the park), Insidious, and The Purge. Even some of the original themes are reminiscent of well-known brands, such as the trippy Lewis Carroll-esque Asylum in Wonderland maze.

photo: Universal Orlando

Piecing together the production is a minor technical mirror. Each of the mazes—which fill the massive sound stages that were installed when the park was first imagined as a working production studio—are built in a specific sequence. As one team—say the one responsible for backgrounds—finishes up a room, another moves in directly behind them to install the lighting and and sound.

“We’ve got it down to a science,” Aiello says. “It’s like a train: Construction gets a week and a half, scenic gets a week and a half, lighting and audio gets a week and a half, decor gets a week and a half.”

Construction begins in May for the autumn event. In total, this highly choreographed approach allows the staff to complete a a full maze in just over four weeks.

“These things are built to code and are basically homes with full lighting, electricity, running water,” Aiello says. “Sometimes we’re screwing in the last lightbulb days—or even hours—before we open.”

So what are Aiello’s top tips for visitors looking to visit the Orlando event? Wear comfortable shoes, of course (it should be stated that, in an effort to avoid confusion, the park prohibits guests from showing up in costume). Aiello also notes that guests tend to attack the park’s mazes via a counterclockwise route, and crowds can be avoided by beginning in the parts of the park that are far from the main entrance, near The Purge and Insidious attractions.

The event—which runs through November 1 and is ticketed separately from daytime attendance—is also a surprisingly good time to check out rides. Many of the top attractions are kept open during the late-night event, and have significantly shorter waits than during the day. Instead of waiting an hour or more for the new Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringott’s attraction, visitors to the Halloween event are often able to walk on in under 10 minutes.